Welcome SYSA players and families. No doubt most of you saw the blurb on the SYSA website (a big thanks to Ed D'Alessandro for putting that up) and luckily for me, you were still interested/intrigued enough to visit my blog for more information. As Ed mentioned on the SYSA website, I am currently working for Grassroot Soccer, Inc (GRS). GRS is a South African based NGO that uses the global power of soccer to help fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. By using soccer as a vehicle to disseminate critical information about HIV, GRS is hoping to increase awareness and stem the tide of this terrible epidemic.
As a lifelong soccer player (and SYSA youth player for 10 years) I have always recognized soccer's unique ability to breakdown all forms of social barriers. It was once said that "soccer is the only dance common to all people" and after living and working in sub-Saharan Africa, I have witnessed this first hand (which is lucky for me because I'm a terrible dancer...in the more traditional sense).
So, now to the reason you're all here! So a few of my fellow interns and I have been getting together and working with Fifa's 'Football For Hope Center' (you may have seen the campaigns during the world cup) to establish community soccer leagues in the townships outside of Cape Town. We have already begun preparations for fields, travel and most other logistics. What we are really in need of now is jerseys/kits/uniforms. Uniforms are something that I always took for granted as a player, yet it's amazing how big a difference a simple uniform can make. Most of the young girls in our girls league and 'Skillz Street' (another all girls league) have never been on a team, and certainly never had jerseys. These jerseys are more than just matching outfits though, they are a team identity. These jerseys create a cohesive unit and help to form the basis of our GRS program. By integrating teams and individuals in community soccer leagues we give our organization a vital platform to deliver critical information and services to at-risk youth in the townships. By partnering soccer with life-skills, education and mentoring we are looking to not only combat HIV but also address many of the underlying forces that drive the epidemic.
As I mentioned, our need now is collecting new or lightly used jerseys and uniforms. In talking with my mom and Ed, I think perhaps the best way to do this may be either 1) if teams are interested, maybe one parent could be designated as the "drop point." They could collect the jerseys from their team and drop them off at my house OR 2) if individuals want to donate separately, they can drop off their gear at my house as well. If you are interested in donating or think your team may have some extra gear, please send me an email at gstockdale@grassrootsoccer.org and we can work out a date, time and location to drop gear off. I will also pass along my mom's email ngruber@speakeasy.net. Africa is constantly at war with bandwidth (figuratively) and the internet is spotty at best. Please copy Nancy Gruber (at the email I just listed) to ensure a prompt reply to all donation queries.
Finally, working for GRS is both a privilege and a passion...unfortunately it is also unpaid. I would not be here without the generous support of friends, family and community. If you would like to make a contribution to my internship/work, there are two ways to donate. Obviously this is a cause that I feel very connected to. I appreciate any and all support.
Donation Info
Grassroot Soccer is a registered international nonprofit organization. All donations are tax-exempt. Tax ID #: 43-1957920.
If you would like to send a check or mail your donation, please make payable to Grassroot Soccer, Inc. and write “Graham Stockdale” on the memo line. Send to:
Grassroot Soccer, Inc.
198 Church Street
P.O. Box 712
Norwich, VT 05055
OR, you can donate online by using the "Google Checkout" button at the top of my blog.
In case anyone was wondering how I got from SYSA to South Arica, I thought I would include a short bio. As I mentioned above, I spent my entire youth career with SYSA, playing for the Ballard Knights (U9-U-11) and Emerald City (U12-U18). I attended Roosevelt High school and later played Division 1 soccer for Bradley University. I studied Biology and English Literature in college. when I found out about GRS I knew that it was the perfect program for me. GRS combines two of my lifelong passions, health care and soccer. I arrived in South Africa this past August and will be here for roughly a year working as an intern on the curriculum and training team. For more information on specifics, please feel free to check out my earlier blog posts.
Thanks again and please feel free to email me with questions or comments.
-Graham
